WS Atkins PLC (LON:ATK) said it has it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire The PBSJ Corp for US$280 million in cash, unanimously recommended by the boards of Atkins and PBSJ.
Hammerson (LON:HMSO), the shopping centre and office developer, reported a modest uptick in the value of its property portfolio as it said the outlook for the remainder of the year was "uncertain".
The new co-owners of the Broadgate office complex in the heart of the City have this morning unveiled their first major development project. British Land (LON:BLND) and its private equity partner Blackstone are about to pull the trigger on a £340 million bespoke trading floor and offices for UBS.
Transnational miner Rio Tinto (LON:RIO, NYSE:RTP, ASX:RIO), the world's No 2 name in seaborne iron ore, has upped the ante in West Africa's iron ore race, the biggest in global mining, by announcing a further USD 170m investment in Guinea's Simandou, following USD 650m investment to date. After discovering Simandou in 2004, the iron ore system, 95% claimed by Rio Tinto, rapidly developed into one of the world's biggest mining hits.
Newly-appointed ITV (LON:ITV) chief executive Adam Crozier has hit the ground running with a decisive move into pay-TV. The deal will see three of the free-to-air broadcaster’s high definition channels shown on rival Sky’s subscription platform and was announced alongside a £75 million additional investment in programming.
Independent oil and gas production & development company EnQuest PLC (LON:ENQ) said it entered an agreement to acquire the entire issued share capital of Stratic Energy Corp (TSX-V:SE LON:SE), valuing the business at approximately US$45.7 million.
Aircraft parts supplier Meggitt (LON:MGGT) predicted civil and military aviation sales will increase in the second half as it reported a 3 per cent rise in first half profits.
Capital & Counties (LON:CAPC), the owner of Covent Garden and the Earls Court and Olympia exhibition centres, reported a robust start to life as an independent company.
Mining giant Rio Tinto (LON:RIO, NYSE:RTP, ASX:RIO) said it will invest a a further US$790 million in its drive to expand the annual capacity of iron ore operations in the Pilbara region, Western Australia, to 330 million tonnes. This brings total investment funds approved in recent weeks to US$1 billion.
Talisman Energy Inc (TSX:TLM, NYSE:TLM) and Ecopetrol SA have agreed to acquire BP (LON:BP) subsidiary BP Exploration Co (Colombia) Lt for US$1.9 billion in cash.
The Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) has agreed to sell the 318 branches and associated assets of its RBS England and Wales and NatWest Scotland branch based business to Santander UK PLC (LON:SAN), an affiliate of Banco Santander SA of Spain (LON:BNC).
Hovis bread and Branston pickle maker Premier Foods (LON:PFD) revealed this morning it had made a £100 million dent in its debt pile, which fell to £1.365 billion.
Clothing retailer Next (LON:NXT) said H1 sales have been in line with expectations as a slow growth in like-for-like retail sales was offset by a better-than-expected performance in Next Directory. Total sales in Retail and Directory were up 3.1%.
The US government has announced that three quarters of the oil that has leaked out of BP's (LON:BP) Deepwater Horizon well into the Gulf of Mexico has been cleaned up or broken down by natural forces, the Telegraph reported in its online edition.
Barclays (LON:BARC) continued the trend in the banking sector by reporting better than expected results. Pre-tax profits for the first six months of the year rose 44 per cent to £3.95 billion, as the group said its charge for bad debts fell by a third.
Ferrexpo (LON:FXPO), the Swiss-based Ukrainian miner, said demand for iron pellets outstripped supply as weighed in with a bumper set of interim figures. However the group complained of a "lack of pricing clarity" following a change by the industry’s super-majors to quarterly iron ore pricing rounds from annual contracts.
Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) said today it is renegotiating its joint venture deal with Aviva (LON:AV). Under the new deal, which is expected to be concluded later this year, the insurer will continue to provide protection, savings and life products.
Mining major Rio Tinto (LON:RIO, NYSE:RTP, ASX:RIO) said it is turning the investment taps on as it posted record interim results. A rebound in metals prices and voracious demand from China saw underlying profits pushed to US$5.8 billion, up from US$2.6 billion a year earlier.
Housebuilder Bellway (LON:BWY) said sales in the year to 31 July 2010 increased by 5%, while the order book increased from £368 in 2009 to £421 million, which the group said should allow it to meet its sales targets next year.
Randgold Resources's (LON:RRS, NYSE:GOLD) second quarter results reflect the exceptionally strong gold market, as the FTSE100 gold miner almost doubled year-on-year Q2 profits, up 92%. However these apparently buoyant headline numbers are heavily supported by the surging price of the yellow metal, rather than its operating performance.
Xstrata Resources (LON:XTA) and Minco (LON:MIO) have reported an upgraded resource estimate for the Pallas Green zinc project in the Republic of Ireland. Through its work on the joint venture property, Xstrata has now increased the inferred resource to 24.1 million tonnes at average grades of 7.85% zinc and 1.35% lead.
Infrastructure investment group International Public Partnerships Limited (LON:INPP) said Transmission Capital Partners, the consortium comprising Amber Infrastructure, Transmission Capital and INPP has been appointed as preferred bidder for three of the seven projects awarded under Ofgem's first round of tenders for the long-term licence and operation of offshore transmission assets in the UK.
State-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) returned to the black in spectacular fashion in the first half of the year. It booked an operating profit of £1.58 billion in the six months to June 30, reversing a loss of £3.35 billion in the same period last year.
The London-listed South African insurer Old Mutual (LON:OML) said it was selling its US life arm as it reported a strong surge in first half earnings. The deal with private investment firm Harbinger will rake in US$350 million.
Through a deal with The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) plans to deliver three state-of-the-art 702HP Ka-band satellites - collectively known as the Inmarsat-5 constellation - to provide a global high speed mobile broadband service.
Engineering and manufacturing company Tomkins (LON:TOMK) reported strong revenue growth that helped it get back in the black in the first half, but cautioned about the outlook for the rest of the year, forecasting contraction in its end-markets in the second half.
Connaught’s (LON:CNT) shares tested new lows as the recently appointed chairman Sir Roy Gardner appealed for investor support, saying that the business is “worth fighting for”. This afternoon the company gave further details of its stricken financial performance. Connaught said it intends to make further provisions against future losses from current contracts, and it will have to make “significant write-downs” on its assets.
More good news for the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) and its restructuring plan, as the company looks set to receive just over £2bn from the sale of an 80.01% stake in its Global Merchant Services (GMS) business. Consequently the, government backed banking group will realise an £850m gain from the disposal, and it will retain a minority 19.99% stake in the business unit.